Officially Yours
by sileefern
Summary: AU: Castiel has been working as a writer for a magazine for almost a year when his manager gets transferred. His new manager, Mr. Dean Winchester has been rude and hateful to him since day one and for no apparent reason. How will Cas deal with this new change? And more importantly, is this hatred or something else entirely?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Castiel found himself being pushed head first into the posh hotel room of his boss. The darkness of the room did nothing to help the cause as he stumbled over the expensive carpet. He winced as his thigh hit the couch hard and his eyes shut closed in pain. He opened his eyes in terror as he was roughly turned around on the spot by a couple of strong, harsh hands. His heart racing, he saw the face of his boss who was wearing the most unreadable expression on his face he had ever seen before.

_What have I done this time? _Castiel thought

"Mr. Winchester, sir. Is-is there something wrong?" Castiel stuttered.

But there was no reply. In the dim light of the room, Cas found his boss' face. He had his eyes fixed on Castiel, facial features hardening as his jaw twitched slightly. He edged in closer as Cas felt an incredible invasion of privacy. His heart pounded against his chest as he couldn't quite figure out the intention of his boss. The darkness in the room made it harder to read that cold-blooded expression.

"You seemed to be having a good time tonight…" his boss said, almost whispering.

"Sir?"

"Yes, laughing and dancing and joking around with everyone… some people more than others?"

_What is he getting at?_

"That blonde in red was especially intriguing, wasn't she?"

Cas was left thoroughly confused. What was Mr. Dean Winchester talking about? Yeah, he had flirted with the blonde woman in question here, but why was this being brought up here now?

"Sir, I don't-"

With one swift movement his boss had him pinned against the wall of the living room. Cas winced at the pain and let out an agonizing cry. Mr. Winchester held both his wrists against the wall and pressed his chest against Castiel's. His face was inches away from his own. Cas could smell the alcohol from his boss' breath and turned his head away from Mr. Winchester's in disgust.

"Mr. Winchester, what are you doing?" Cas panted. His heart was hammering away wildly. He thought he would have a heart attack right there. He tried to free his wrists and wriggle his way out of the clutches of the monster that was his boss, but failed. Mr. Winchester's grip was too strong. Cas tried to calm himself down as panic was getting him nowhere, but it was easier said than done.

His eyes had begun to adjust to the darkness of the room but it didn't matter anyway since a majority of his vision was blocked by Mr. Winchester's aggressive face. Cas tried to look around for something that he could use in his defense. Something that would get him out of this terrifying situation. If only somehow the lights got turned on…

His train of thought came to an abrupt halt when his boss gently brushed his lip's against Castiel's neck. Of all the things that Cas thought Dean Winchester would ever do to him, this was _never ever_ on the list. Insult Cas in front of his colleagues? Yeah, Mr. Winchester had already done that. Fire him for incompetence? Sure, that was number one on the list. But this…

Cas felt Mr. Winchester's grip loosen around his wrists, but his pressure on his chest had nearly doubled. Maybe now he could somehow escape the clutches of his boss. He willed himself to wriggle his wrists loose but they wouldn't budge somehow. His entire attention now focused on the hot tufts of breath against his neck.

Slowly Mr. Winchester's kisses began trailing his neck upwards towards Castiel's jaw line. Mr. Winchester brought his lips close to Cas' and brushed them lightly without actually resting them on Cas'.

"Would you go running off on me if I let go of your wrists?" Mr. Winchester said in the huskiest voice that Cas had ever heard.

The most un-manliest 'hum' escaped Cas' lips that surprised him to the bone. He had intended to say '_Yes, obviously. And I will go and tell everyone what you were trying to do to me. Also, I will be charging you with sexual assault_' and all he was able to let out was a girlish 'hmmm'?

Mr. Winchester chuckled and proceeded to take that as a 'Yes'. He lowered Cas' hands and placed them on his lower back. This decreased the distance between them even more. He placed one hand on Cas' hip and the other one on his tie. Exhaling sharply as he gripped his tie, he said "This tie brings out the color of your eyes… you have very beautiful eyes Cas… _Blue_"

He almost hissed out Cas' name that sent all sorts of alarms ringing through his head. His boss, the one who had disliked him from day one, was now moderately drunk and complementing Cas' eyes. If only his brain wasn't throbbing so much, maybe Cas would've laughed at this possibility.

Mr. Winchester pulled Cas's tie closer to him, reducing the distance between their lips again.

_'__Move dammit' _Cas commanded his hands that were precariously placed on his boss' back. But they seemed to be paralyzed.

Without a warning Mr. Winchester pressed his lips on Cas'. Cas almost yelped but Mr. Winchester ignored it and tried to pry Cas' mouth open.

_Yellow, red, orange, pink… fireworks_ … Castiel thought he was hallucinating.

He opened his mouth in spite of himself and kissed his boss in return, suddenly not disgusted by the alcohol breath. He allowed his boss to explore his mouth, as he did some exploring of his own. The kiss quickly turned rough and harsh and urgent. Their tongues danced together as their hands traveled through previously restricted areas. Cas ran his hands all over Mr. Winchester's back under his suit jacket. His shirt felt so soft and the friction of the fingers against it was sending waves of pleasure through his veins.

For the first time since smashing their lips together, Mr. Winchester backed up and looked squarely at Cas with a lopsided smile on his face. Cas found it hard to meet Mr. Winchester's eyes in case he saw the surprise and confusion in his own eyes. He had shocked himself by his response to his boss' advances. Once again their lips met and Cas felt alarms ringing in his head with a renewed intensity. Suddenly, the alarms began to sound different. He felt Mr. Winchester lean away again, a string of curses escaping his lips. His cell phone had started ringing.

He abruptly parted from Cas while trying to focus on the screen of his phone. He answered his phone while Cas tried to compose himself and wrap his head around the happenings of the last five minutes. He suddenly felt cold and empty. He missed the feeling of Mr. Winchester's body pressed against his, his hands travelling all over his body, hips grinding together. Cas looked at the back of Mr. Winchester's now untidy head and frowned. He did not remember touching his hair at all. _What the hell happened during the last five minutes?_

Mr. Winchester hung up and turned slowly to face Cas. He sighed loudly as he halfheartedly turned on the lights. Cas squinted his eyes against the sudden brightness that flooded the room. He looked nervously at Mr. Winchester who had a similar expression on his face.

"I have... t-to go", Mr. Winchester managed to say awkwardly while pointing at his phone.

Cas nodded, still panting.

Mr. Winchester ran a hand through his hair in an effort to smoothen it out and straightened his clothes. Then without a word or even a final glance at Cas, he bolted out of the door. Castiel slumped onto the couch next to him as soon as Mr. Winchester left the room. It was almost like Mr. Winchester was the only thing holding him upright. When he attempted to get up, his wobbly legs dropped him onto the couch again. Giving up, he buried his face into his hands and exhaled loudly.

WHAT the hell was that?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Castiel rolled over in his bed as every attempt at falling asleep failed miserably. He had been on his feet for most of the day, and the official conference had drained him. He had almost groaned out aloud when he found that there was a party after the conference. All he wanted to do was hit the sack. But he pushed himself to attend the party after his boss Dean Winchester fixed him with a cold hard stare on sensing his disinterest. And now when he was finally on his comfortable hotel room bed, sleep eluded him. And with good reason.

A flash of Mr. Winchester's face so close to his own was enough to make the hair on the back of his neck stand on edge all over again.

Castiel closed his eyes as memories from those five minutes spent in his boss' room drifted back to his consciousness. His boss' hot breath on his neck, on his jaw, his cheek and finally on his lips.

Cas squirmed on his bed, trying to rid his mind of those memories that shouldn't be there in the first place. He tried to focus his thoughts on the comfortable hotel room that he was provided with by the company. His two room apartment was nothing in comparison to this. He often looked forward to office conferences and outings mainly because of the change of scenery and comfort provided to employees for free. He wasn't looking forward to this conference very much though. Because he would be attending it with his new boss. His boss, who had for some reason, taken a particular dislike towards him. His boss, who had been excessively critical of Cas from day one.

His boss... who had strong hands... with magical fingers...

Cas groaned aloud.

"No dammit! Stop thinking about him." Cas scolded himself. If only his brain would listen to the voice of reason.

Castiel's thoughts drifted back to that fateful day when his ex-manager had been replaced by a new, younger and forceful successor, Dean Winchester. Cas liked his ex-manager, Mr. Bobby Singer. He was kind, resourceful and easily approachable. He was a scruffy old man who was almost like a father figure to Cas. Cas could go to him without any hesitation and hence, the news of his retirement hit Cas really hard.

On the day when his new boss was to start working with them, Cas had woken up earlier than usual out of anxiety. He couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad was going to happen. Little did he know that his intuition was spot on. He ran his fingers through his dark hair as he gave himself a thoughtful look in the mirror. He had never really considered himself to be handsome at all and was very weary of the attention that he received from most of the women around him. Even the women he didn't know gave him flirtatious glances. If only he wasn't so socially awkward, maybe he would've enjoyed the attention.

Cas dressed up in his favorite shirt so that he could leave a good impression on his new boss. But the big stain of grease on his shirt right on his chest, which he earned on his bus ride to work, had other plans. Upon reaching work, he tried to get it off with a tissue which just caused the stain to smudge even more. Cas sighed as he looked at his image in the mirror of the men's room and a pair of sapphire colored eyes stared back at him. A stray strand of jet black hair was dancing mockingly on his forehead. He pushed it back to its place, but it stubbornly fell back on his forehead. He tried again but it just kept falling out of place. Cas was almost about to cry. It was like the universe was conspiring against him.

If only Mr. Singer would be here. All of his anxieties would vanish. Mr. Singer would actually crack some stupid joke about the grease stain or call it an _idgit_ and make Cas laugh. Cas frowned at his image in the mirror. 'Fuck it' he thought and stormed out of the men's room towards his cubicle.

About half an hour later, their team was invited into their new manager's cabin for an introduction. Cas took a deep breath and figured that if he hung around in the back of the group maybe he wouldn't get noticed and neither would his grease stain. His team slowly edged into the cabin and Cas stood right at the back of the group. It was working so far. He then caught a glimpse of his new manager. Spiked brown hair, chiseled jaw line, emerald green eyes, a heart warming smile and a physique that would make Mr. Singer green with envy.

'This man is suited in a profession of modelling or acting, what is he doing here?' Cas thought stupidly. He could feel the women in his team suddenly become self conscious. Obviously no one had expected a model look-alike as their new manager, especially after working for Mr. Singer for a good part of their term in this office. Some women were actually twirling their hair and batting their eyes at their boss. They had done the same with Cas too when he was new, but had eventually stopped when he didn't play along. He laughed inwardly.

"Hello everyone, I'm Dean Winchester, your new manager." Their boss said in a Texan accent. "I have been briefed about the way things function around here by Mr. Singer. He was also gracious enough to tell me a little bit about each of you. But I would like to build my own impression of each one of you. I would like to talk to you'll one-on-one, get to know you, what you're working on and stuff." Mr. Winchester said as he took in all the new faces staring expectantly back at him. His eyes settled on Cas, and Cas suddenly felt very exposed. Mr. Winchester shifted his gaze back to the rest of the crowd and continued, "Why don't we begin right away... with...erm-" He scanned all the eager faces in front of him and finally looked directly at Cas, "-with you."

_Yep, the fucking universe is definitely conspiring against me._

Cas nodded and managed to say "Yes sir" as he saw his co-workers trail out of the room, the women giving him envious looks. If only he could switch places with them... if only...

Cas lowered himself slowly on the chair opposite Mr. Winchester and tried to smile. Mr. Winchester looked at him squarely for about ten seconds and then his gaze slid to the grease stain on his chest that was probably smiling proudly at Mr. Winchester. His eyes settled on the grease stain a little longer than necessary and Cas knew he was screwed.

"I'm - I'm Castiel Novak", Cas blurted out in a lame attempt to draw his boss' attention away from the career-destroying black hole on his chest.

"Oh, _you're_ Castiel." Mr. Winchester said, meeting Cas' eyes. "Mr. Singer has told me a lot about you. He's very impressed with your work. He seems to like you."

For the first time, Cas smiled whole-heartedly. He felt flattered that his ex-boss had put in a good word for him.

"But you see, I am not so easily impressed, Castiel." Cas' smile faded almost instantly.

"I went through your work and honestly I feel it is very... _mediocre_."

That word felt like a stab in his heart.

"Maybe Mr. Singer was too easy on you." Mr. Winchester continued, "I assure you, I will not be the same because _I_... am not Mr. Singer."

Cas gulped. He had always been proud of his work and in an instant Mr. Winchester had stripped off all of his self-confidence. This continued for the next fifteen minutes and by the time Mr. Winchester was done criticizing his work, Cas felt like he didn't even have enough energy to get up and leave. He slowly rested his palms on the table and hoisted himself off the chair.

"Mr. Novak," Mr. Winchester said and Cas managed to sheepishly meet the eyes of this heartless human in front of him. "If I were you, I'd be more careful of how I present myself at my workplace." Dean said and dropped his gaze back to the grease stain. Cas nodded and practically ran out of the cabin. By the end of the day Cas realized that Mr. Winchester had been very kind and encouraging to the other members of his team. Then why had he grilled Cas so much? When Cas returned home he pulled off his shirt angrily and cursed the seemingly innocent grease stain with all his might.

Cas' was brought back to the present when a dog started barking out of his hotel room window.

That very boss. That heartless, rude and cruel boss had just made out with him for a good five minutes. Cas sighed and rolled over in his bed to face the chair on which he had clumsily dumped his clothes. He had no recollection of how he had even gotten back to his room from his boss' room, changed into his pajamas and dropped onto his bed. It's like his body had taken control while his mind was working over-time trying to figure this mess out. Among his clothes on the chair, Cas' eyes found his tie. He remembered how his boss had gripped it and whispered,

"This tie brings out the colour of your eyes… you have very beautiful eyes Cas… _Blue_"

Another chill ran down his spine as Cas cursed and buried his face into his pillow. He had known, from the moment his head hit the pillow, that this was going to be a long, sleepless night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The next morning Castiel woke up early to pack his bag. They were expected to check out in a couple of hours and he was a mess. He had slept very late last night. He tried his best to push Mr. Dean Winchester out of his head as he brushed his teeth and took a longer shower than intended. He hoped he would drown in the shower so he could avoid the awkward encounter that he would have with his boss in some time.

The shower seemed to have had a calming effect on him and he felt like most of his anxieties had flown down the drain along with the warm water. He played his favorite upbeat songs on his phone as he got dressed. He felt physically lighter even though the thought of meeting his boss for the first time after last night was still hanging over him like a sword.

Cas checked his watch and began packing. He looked at his clothes from last night dumped on the chair and sighed. He began folding them carefully when his tie fell to the ground.

_You have very beautiful eyes Cas… Blue_

Cas shuddered as it all came crashing back. Hot breath… passionate kisses… eager hands trailing prohibited areas. He drew in a sharp breath and dumped the tie at the very bottom of his bag. He paced back and forth in his room trying to calm his nerves until it was time for him to head down to the lobby. Before he left, he gave the room one last look to see if he had forgotten anything, bid goodbye to the luxurious bed and walked out the door.

In the lobby, all of his colleagues were already waiting for him. Suddenly Cas felt very paranoid. His brain converted their casual glances and friendly smiles into knowing ones. He couldn't help but feel like everyone knew what had happened between Mr. Winchester and him last night. He found it hard to meet their eyes. He pulled out his phone and began fidgeting with it to avoid any sort of confrontation.

"Mr. Winchester is running late," announced Bella, Mr. Winchester's assistant, "He'll be joining us at the airport. We better get going." She continued, in a distinctive British accent.

'Phew' thought Cas. This would have been very, very awkward. He would have probably reacted in a not-normal way around Mr. Winchester which would definitely spill the beans. He thanked his lucky stars, picked up his bag and joined his co-workers to the airport. On the way to the airport, he allowed his mind to wander. He took in the beautiful scenery and the birds flying high above in the sky.

'I'll be joining you soon birdies' Cas mocked them in his head.

Just then a thought struck him. What if his boss had avoided travelling with them… with _him… _on purpose? Maybe he was too afraid to see Cas too and that's why he skipped the awkward encounter. It was, after all, Mr. Winchester who had made the first move. Was he afraid that Cas was going to tell everyone? Cas smiled inwardly at the thought that he had the upper hand here. For the first fucking time, he had the upper hand. But who would believe him anyway? And besides, Cas himself wondered _why_ _hadn't _he told anyone? He wasn't scared. He could get his boss fired for what he'd done. He wouldn't have to see Mr. Winchester's face ever again. But that option didn't seem all that appealing all of a sudden. He couldn't deny that he had actually liked what had happened and getting his boss fired meant that there would be no possibility of it happening in the future ever again. For what seemed like the billionth time since last night, Cas tried to push Mr. Winchester out of his head and focus on the birds in the sky.

At the airport, Castiel and his colleagues completed all of their formalities and idled around and chatted with each other till it was departure time. When it was finally time to leave everybody got to their feet. Cas noticed that Mr. Winchester still hadn't arrived. He started to feel concerned in spite of himself. He wanted to shake up every single one of his colleagues and yell at them for being so unconcerned about their boss. What if Mr. Winchester missed the flight?

He pulled himself together and tried to calm down. He joined his colleagues casually, trying to conceal the fact that he was actually quite anxious that their boss hadn't arrived yet. He boarded the flight and sat on his assigned window seat. His colleagues got seated as well, still indifferent to the fact that their boss was actually missing. After about five minutes of shooting anxious glances in every direction trying to find Mr. Winchester, Cas gave up and stared out of the window.

'This is good' Cas told himself sternly. He shouldn't be so worried about Mr. Winchester. He was a grown man who could manage to get back home on his own even if he missed the flight. Cas opened a magazine to distract himself when he felt another passenger occupy the seat next to his. He looked up to give the passenger a friendly smile only to find that it was actually Mr. Winchester. Their eyes met and Cas felt his throat go completely dry. Though he was partially relieved to see him, he wasn't prepared for this at all. After what happened last night, he _did not_ feel ready to sit next to his boss.

"Mr. Novak" Mr. Winchester said formally, acknowledging Cas' presence. He seemed to be having trouble looking directly at Cas. When he found that he couldn't form any words, Cas merely nodded and looked out of the window. Cas closed his eyes in frustration as he realized that this was going to be the longest journey of his life. He hoped he would fall asleep and make up for all the sleep he had lost last night. Most importantly, he wouldn't have to deal with the man seated next to him if he fell asleep. After about ten minutes of trying to think about anything but last night, he finally started feeling drowsy and drifted off to sleep.

Cas felt a slight tickle in his hair. He was too drowsy to open his eyes so he ignored it and tried to fall asleep again. He inhaled deeply and lungs filled with the smell of very strong cologne. He could've sworn he had smelt it somewhere before. He felt the tickle in his hair again. This time he also felt a short burst of hot air that was apparently causing the tickle. Almost like a breath…

_What?_

Cas forced his eyes to open as he tried to adjust his vision. He noticed that he was leaning onto one side of his seat with his head resting against something soft. As his vision became clear, Mr. Winchester's dark suit jacket and crisp white shirt was the first thing his eyes perceived. It took no time for him to realize that he was leaning against Mr. Winchester's shoulder, who was peacefully breathing into his hair. Cas felt the color drain out from his face. He was wide awake almost instantly. He slowly lifted his face to look at his boss' face, who seemed fast asleep. Cas tried to pull away and prop himself back on his seat again, when he was suddenly distracted by how handsome Mr. Winchester looked from this angle. His strong jaw set in its place, eyes fluttering faintly, hair slightly messed up and his lips parted just a little.

Cas gasped. What was happening to him? Why was he so attracted to this unreasonably gorgeous man? Was he queer? No. If he was, he would know, right? Cas blinked as his brow furrowed. This was totally screwed up. With great difficulty, Cas slowly leaned away. His boss stirred. He had probably noticed the lack of pressure on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and blinked rapidly to adjust his gaze. His eyes settled on Cas' face that was only inches away from his own.

_'Back up, you ass, or he'll think you were making the moves on him_.' Cas warned himself, but it was so hard to do so when those beautiful green eyes were staring into his own blue ones. Then, without warning, Mr. Winchester covered whatever little distance was between them and pressed his lips on Cas'. Castiel's eyes flew open as he realized what had just happened. They were in an airplane surrounded by a whole bunch of office-mates! What was his boss doing?

Mr. Winchester gently nibbled on his lower lip and every thought, every inhibition left Cas' mind. He shut his eyes and lost himself in the kiss. He opened his mouth to suck in some air and also to allow Mr. Winchester's tongue to enter his own mouth. He focused on how his own tongue felt against Mr. Winchester's and felt himself smile. He suddenly felt very brave and proceeded to give Mr. Winchester's lower lip a nibble too. Mr. Winchester's moaned softly into his mouth and placed his palm on Cas' exposed neck. He inhaled in sharply at the warmth of his boss' hand.

This was so dangerous. They would definitely get caught. But screw that.

Cas lifted his own hand and placed it on Mr. Winchester's cheek, rubbing his thumb over the slight stubble as the kiss deepened. Almost abruptly, Mr. Winchester leaned away from Cas and drew his hand away from Cas' neck. He stared into Cas' eyes with horror, as if he had only just realized what he had done in his trance-like state. He almost jumped out of his seat and rushed to a vacant seat on the other side of the isle, leaving Cas completely lost and confused. Cas' hand, which had been cupping Mr. Winchester's cheek a few seconds ago, was still hanging in mid air. He lowered his hand slowly and focused his attention out of the window, trying to control the anger bubbling in his chest. The anger towards his ass of a boss, who was treating him like an office slut, and more importantly the anger towards himself, who was letting his boss treat him like that. He punched the now vacant seat that was previously occupied by his boss and swore he would never let that happen ever again. EVER.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Castiel stared at his computer screen and tried to get his thoughts in order. This damn article was due in the evening and he had written just one line yet. He hadn't even come up with a good title. He was screwed. Today could be the day he got fired. But he couldn't help it. His mind kept getting dragged back to the aeroplane incident from a couple of days ago.

Mr. Winchester's lips over his, the smell of cologne intoxicating him, the warmth spreading from Mr. Winchester's hand onto his neck, the look of horror in his boss' green eyes and the sudden loss of warmth…

Cas banged his desk involuntarily and Charlie Bradbury craned her neck over the division between their cubicles.

"You okay bro?" Charlie inquired with concern in her eyes, unruly red hair falling lazily over her shoulders. Charlie was Cas' best friend and favourite anti-depressant. Cas just smiled at her. Charlie dragged her chair next to Cas' and looked at him straight in the eyes.

"Is there something wrong, Cas?"

Cas considered telling her. He had always confided in her. She had, figuratively, been his shoulder to cry on every time Mr. Winchester made him feel down in the past. Why should this be any different?

"Did that ass say something again?" Cas knew who she was talking about without actually mentioning his name. He was proud of this relationship that he had with Charlie. She was like his little sister who understood him and would stand by him no matter what.

"Yeah, he's asked me to submit this article by evening. And I can't even decide a good title for it." Cas said and frowned.

"What's the article about?"

"Importance of positive employer-employee relationships" Cas said and sighed.

Charlie buried her face in her hands and broke into a fit of laughter. He had to admit it was a very ironic topic, considering how his relationship with Mr. Winchester was anything but positive. Cas found himself laughing as well. When she finally managed to catch her breath, she lowered her hands to her cheeks revealing a pair of misty eyes.

"That's your favourite topic, isn't it Cassie?" Charlie said and bit her lower lip in an attempt to prevent another fit of laugher.

"Oh yeah, you laugh now. But you're gonna have to borrow me your shoulder again in the evening when the boss man yells his lungs out at me." Cas said mockingly.

Charlie's laughter died away almost instantly. "I'll be here" she said seriously, and returned to her cubicle after lightly patting Cas' back.

Cas returned to writing his article. Just five minutes with his favourite person had given him a fresh new perspective. He cracked his knuckles and began typing wildly at the keyboard. By lunch time, he had finished about half of the article and smiled to himself. He reminded himself to buy Charlie that Star Wars T-shirt that she had wanted for a long time. She had made his day.

This had to be a new record. He had written almost a whole article in less than a day. He felt so proud of himself. He stretched in his seat and decided he needed a break. He got up from his seat only to find himself face-to-face with Bella Talbot, Mr. Winchester's assistant.

"Mr. Winchester wishes to see you in his office with your article." She said curtly.

"But it's not done yet" Cas said indignantly. Plus he was not ready to see his boss yet after the whole plane incident. Cas was so mad at his boss, he just knew he would hurl something at him if he did anything to upset Cas.

"He wants to see you" Bella insisted. She spun on the spot and walked away swaying her hips. Charlie wolf whistled in the background and Cas glared at her.

"Damn, what would it take for me to get in her pants?" Charlie asked herself ignoring Cas' glare.

"Seriously? Her?" Cas asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah, you're right. The boss man's probably banging her already." Charlie whispered and Cas felt an inexplicable jealousy towards Bella. He frowned at himself.

Cas scanned through his incomplete article one last time and printed it. All he could think about was what the interaction would be like. He knew for sure that he would have to try really hard not to rip Mr. Winchester's hair out. Their interaction during the last couple of days since they had been back from the conference had been very minimal and strained. Whenever they crossed paths or bumped into each other accidentally, temperatures would suddenly rise. His boss tried so hard to avoid him. But Cas wanted answers. And he intended to get them.

Five minutes later he found himself sitting opposite Mr. Winchester who had not made eye contact with him ever since he entered his office and sat down opposite him. He fixed his eyes on the article going through it slowly, scrutinizing every sentence.

"It's not done yet, I-I could work on it some more." Cas tried to explain. Even though he was mad at Mr. Winchester, he felt the need to explain that he could do better than this. It was probably because his job depended on it, he reasoned with himself. Nothing to do with trying to impress Mr. Winchester. Nope, nothing at all.

"Not bad" Mr. Winchester said and finally met his eyes. "Go through it once, there are some typo's which I'm sure you'll be able to deal with on your own. Try and complete it by evening and send it across to me." He said and looked away as if holding Cas' gaze for even a short amount of time was physically torturous for him.

Cas nodded and returned to his cubicle. He felt like one of those times when his body went into auto-pilot mode while his brain worked extra hard trying to figure things out. This was the first time that Mr. Winchester hadn't criticized his work. He always found something wrong with his articles and humiliated him in traumatizing ways. But none of that had happened today.

Charlie saw him literally flop down on his seat and came to his aid. She always would whenever Cas returned from Mr. Winchester's cabin because she was all too familiar with the way he treated Cas.

"You okay Cas?" Charlie asked tentatively.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Cas said and tried to smile.

"What did he say this time?" Charlie asked, fuming.

"He said that the article was… not bad."

Charlie's mouth fell open. "You kidding, right?"

"Nope" Cas said and Charlie nodded.

"Well, good" Charlie said and beamed. Cas smiled and thanked her. It was definitely because of her that he'd managed to pull it off. She waved a hand at him and walked back to her seat.

Cas couldn't help but feel warm and happy inside. Why did those two simple words have such an effect on him? They weren't exactly praise either, his brain analysed.

_Not bad_

It was like saying, it's not very good, its okay, but it's _not bad._ Cas felt his anger towards his boss melt away slowly. He focused all of his energy back to the article and felt confident of nailing it. Writing the article had however, taken longer than he had expected. He didn't even realize that Charlie and he were the only two people in the office.

"Cas, you planning to go home today?" Cas looked up at Charlie who was all packed up. He massaged his neck and stretched in his seat.

"I'll be done soon. I'm supposed to turn this in today." Cas said and smiled wearily.

"Okay, see you tomorrow then. Take care, you nerd." Charlie said and winked.

After about five minutes he heard Mr. Winchester's voice.

"Mr. Novak…" Cas looked up at him

"Mr. Winchester, it's almost done"

"Yeah, about that. I have an idea that could make the article a little more interesting." Mr. Winchester said animatedly, "Are you in a hurry to leave?"

_'Castiel Novak, I warn you, do not punch your boss. Do not punch him'_ Cas advised himself.

The anger and frustration were back. He had been working non-stop for the whole day and was completely beat. And now Mr. Winchester wanted him to wait for some more time? What kind of animal was he?

Mr. Winchester dragged a chair next to Castiel's and began explaining his idea to him. Cas had to grudgingly admit that it _would_ make the article ten times more interesting. Mr. Winchester sat next to Cas as he incorporated the idea into his article. After about an hour the article was done and Cas suddenly realized that he liked discussing ideas and working with Mr. Winchester. He was so intelligent and driven. When they were done scrutinizing the article and adding some final touches to it together, Mr. Winchester squeezed Cas' shoulder in excitement.

"People are going to love this article, Cas."

Time suddenly stopped still. In that moment they both realized how physically close they were to each other. Mr. Winchester had been leaning towards him the whole time, staring at the computer screen. They were lost in the heat of the moment before but their attention was not on the screen anymore. Cas was suddenly aware of everything, Mr. Winchester's hand still awkwardly placed on his shoulder, their eyes staring into each other's, the oxygen in his lungs being replaced by that intoxicating cologne, and the blatant fact that his boss had just addressed him with his nick name.

"P-please email this to me" Mr. Winchester stammered and bolted. Yet again. By experience, Cas had expected his boss to run from this situation, but he still found himself getting disappointed when it happened. He heard his boss' footsteps again.

"Castiel, would you like to have dinner with me?"

Cas' elbow slid off the desk. He thought he had misheard his boss.

"I mean, it-its late and you worked really hard today and you're probably hungry" Mr. Winchester's voice tailed off.

"Thank you Mr. Winchester, but that is not really necessary." Cas said and shifted in his seat. _Nope, just nope._ He didn't want to spend more time with this his boss. Especially after what just happened.

"Come on, Cas. I swear I won't talk about work." Mr. Winchester joked and Cas found himself saying, "Okay Mr. Winchester."

_'What is wrong with you?' _Cas thought angrily

"Great, email the article to me, and I'll meet you downstairs in five." Mr. Winchester said and disappeared. Cas' heart began beating wildly in his chest as he tried to figure out whether this was just dinner or was it _dinner_…


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

After wrapping up his work, Cas stood in the parking lot unsure of which car belonged to his boss. He paced around trying to calm his nerves still trying to figure out what _dinner_ meant. Did Mr. Winchester mean it in a friendly I-am-glad-with-your-work-today kind of way? Maybe he had realized that the only way to increase Cas' productivity was to have a healthy boss-employee relationship, which was why he was trying to bridge the gap between them. Or perhaps, following the passionate couple of kisses and awkward encounters thereafter, dinner actually meant _dinner._ He was dragged out of Cas-land when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around on the spot to watch Mr. Winchester walk towards himself with a small smile playing on his lips. His jaw fell open at the sight. Mr. Winchester had discarded his suit jacket, which was flopped over his arm. He had undone the topmost button of his light blue shirt and his tie was gone. He had rolled up his sleeves to reveal a pair of strong, tanned hands. Cas gaped at him shamelessly. That handsome assbutt looked good even when he didn't try, Cas thought and sighed. Mr. Winchester tipped his head towards the other side of the parking lot, gesturing at Cas to follow him. After walking wordlessly towards the far end of the parking lot, they stopped in front of a sleek, black vintage car. Mr. Winchester just stood there taking in Cas' expression with an amused smile on his lips.

"_That_ is your ride?" Cas asked, surprised and impressed at once.

"Yep, 1967 Chevy Impala. Best damn car known to man."

"Wow" Cas said and allowed his eyes to trail over every inch of the glossy, smooth surface of the car. He could tell his boss valued that car more than anything in the world, considering how well maintained it was. Mr. Winchester smiled and got into the car, instructing Cas to do the same. He put the keys in the ignition and the engine roared to life. There was something about the low purring of the engine that made Cas feel at ease almost instantly. Dean turned on the music player and Cas was thankful for it. At least there would be no awkward silence. He grinned when a classic rock song began playing.

"I would never have guessed that you were a classic rock fan." Cas said.

"Come on, how can one not like it?" Mr. Winchester said and smiled at him. "What kinda music do you listen to?"

"Depends on my mood. But I generally like soft, instrumental sort of music." Cas replied, suddenly embarrassed at how cheesy it must have sounded.

"Nice." Mr. Winchester said genuinely.

Mr. Winchester sang along with some of the songs until they reached their destination and Cas looked outside the window, smiling to himself. Every assumption that he had made about his boss was being challenged in one evening. He grudgingly admitted to himself that his boss had a very good singing voice.

The restaurant that Mr. Winchester had taken him to was a very fancy one. Cas wondered whether he would be able to afford paying for himself here. He mentally calculated the amount of money he had in his wallet and he knew he would have to loan some from his boss. He could've cried right there. The waitress showed them to their table and Cas looked around as he slowly settled down into his seat. Almost everyone here looked like they owned a Mercedes. The women wore expensive looking clothes and jewellery and high heels. The men, on the other hand, engrossed themselves in their tablets and smart phones and other toys. They probably didn't even look at the prices of the stuff they bought. Cas began the realize that he definitely didn't belong here.

"Cas, what's up?" Mr. Winchester asked. Cas wished he would stop addressing him by his nick name. It was doing things to him that he couldn't explain. He hesitated before answering.

"Mr. Winchester, I…erm… I don't think I would be able to afford dining here." He tentatively met his boss' gaze.

"Okay, first of all," Mr. Winchester said sternly, "We are not at work, so it's '_Dean_'. And secondly," his facial features softened as a smile spread across his face, "this is my treat. You worked your butt off today. It only seems right that you receive some positive reinforcement."

Cas couldn't bear to look at his boss' face. He was so gorgeous. What was wrong with him? Why was he so attracted to Dean? Dean had just cleared the air that this was "positive reinforcement", this was definitely work related. This was not _dinner_. He found himself getting disappointed in spite of himself. He thanked Dean and briefly met his eyes before focusing his attention on the shiny fork again. The threateningly pretty waitress handed them a menu each. Cas skimmed through it (without looking at the prices for fear of passing out) and gave up almost instantly, throwing a nervous look at Dean. He hadn't even heard of half the things on the menu. Thankfully, Dean understood, and ordered some dish with Pasta on behalf of Cas.

Over dinner, they discussed about how they got into their respective professions. They discussed about their favourite music in detail. Dean told Cas about that one glorious year that he had taken a break from his work to take a road trip with his brother, Sam. He told him about how he and his brother had traversed through the whole country, spending all their nights in dingy motel rooms and eating in unappetizing diners, just for the heck of it. Cas hung onto every word Dean said about the road trip. He especially liked the way he spoke about his younger brother. He knew, just by his words, how attached Dean was to his little brother, whom he would protect with his life. Returning back to the present, Dean discussed with Cas the pressures placed on him by the upper management lately, which was why they had to get the article done today itself. He then apologized profusely for talking about work after promising not to do so. Cas laughed at the apology. Cas laughed at every silly joke his boss cracked, his laugh often embarrassingly disproportionate to how funny the joke was.

'_Get a grip, you dork, you're not a teenage girl out on a date with the most popular boy in school' _Cas reminded himself.

"So Cas, you got somebody at home?" Dean asked casually. He'd been doing all the talking so far. Cas had managed to keep his personal life personal, so far.

"No... I mean I have three older brothers but I live here alone." Cas said in brief, stuffing his mouth with the delicious pasta. He understood why the prices here were so high. This was the most scrumptious pasta he had ever tasted.

"Are you dating anybody?" Dean asked and fixed Cas with the longest stare he had given him ever.

"No" Cas said, clearing his throat. Suddenly, swallowing his food had become a very hard and effortful process. He told himself that his boss was probably just curious and he shouldn't read much into it, but his rapidly beating heart didn't get the memo. The rest of the evening was just plain uncomfortable. That one question had thrown Cas off his game. He was relieved when it was time for them to pay the bill and leave. As they walked towards his car, Dean asked,

"Where do you live?"

"It's not too far from here Mr. Win- er- Dean. I can probably get a bus." Cas said.

Dean chuckled. "You don't want me to see where you live, huh?" Cas didn't miss the flirty undertone in Dean's voice and his heart started pounding against his chest again.

"No, Dean. Really, it's fine." But Dean wouldn't have it. He held Cas' hand and dragged him towards the Impala. Cas panicked and looked around him to check whether anyone had seen that. Dean was so reckless. Cas was even more surprised because Dean hadn't had anything to drink, except for water. Whatever he was doing, he was doing while completely sober.

Cas showed him the way to his house and couldn't wait to get back home and bolt the door behind him. All he wanted was for the day to be over already. Today had been too eventful for Cas' taste. Dean pulled over in front of Cas' building and Cas sighed with relief. He was about to thank Dean for the treat when Dean cut in.

"Cas, can I use your restroom?"

_No. No. Go away. I can't do this._

"Sure." Cas said grudgingly. When they reached his apartment, he felt Dean's eyes on him as he slid the key into the lock.

"Random fact," Dean said, "I can pick locks." Cas looked at him slowly and Dean threw his head back and laughed.

Cas realized just how obvious Dean was being, but he didn't know how to deal with this. Once inside the apartment Cas told him where the loo was but Dean, who was more interested in Cas' apartment, probably hadn't even heard him. He walked around the tiny apartment taking in every tiny detail of the messy, cramped up room. He looked at the vast collection of books in Cas' living room slash bed room. Cas had a large bed in the corner that the land lady had provided him with, a creaky old couch, and a coffee table that Cas had intended to repair for a long time. It wobbled so much that it never really served its true purpose. Any coffee cup placed on that table was bound to spill over. These were among the very few things that Cas could call his own, but he managed. He knew this was only temporary. Someday he would have a place of his own. And he would be proud of it.

"Cute place" Dean said and Cas shot him an impatient look. He wished Dean would just finish his business and leave. Dean fixed his eyes on Cas and slowly walked towards him, a small (definitely flirtatious) smile playing on his lips. Cas' found it hard to breathe. It was going to happen again. But he had sworn to himself on the plane that he wouldn't let it happen again. In one swift motion, he grabbed his baseball bat leaning against the wall by the door and held it defensively between Dean and himself. He had bought it for self defense when he had moved in here since he was all too familiar with the neighborhood. He had lived here for some time now but hadn't felt the need to use it. Until now.

"Whoa Cas." Dean stopped dead in his tracks, terror in his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Could ask the same thing to you" Cas said, anger starting to bubble inside him.

"Cas... I…"

"You what?"

"Cas, I just wanna talk." Dean said sighing, "About the time I hurt you…"

Cas scoffed. "Which time, Mr. Winchester?" He didn't want to call him by his name. Ever.

"Every single time" Dean said and tentatively met Cas' gaze. "Can we please talk? I'm sure you want some answers…"

Cas _was_ looking for answers. He nodded ever so slightly. Dean lowered himself on the couch, which creaked loudly. He patted the vacant place next to him, asking Cas to join him. Clutching the baseball bat even tighter, Cas lowered himself on the couch next to Dean, trying to keep as much distance between them as possible. After a small pause Dean said,

"Cas, I'm so sorry that I hurt you so much." He adjusted himself, tucking his left leg under his right one, such that he was facing Cas squarely. Cas scoffed again and rolled his eyes.

"Cas, I'm serious. And I'm not just going to apologize. I'm gonna try to explain why I did what I did. To be honest, I still don't know. But I'm gonna try anyway." He sucked in a deep breath and continued.

"Cas, I-I erm…think I may… have developed… feelings… for you" Dean said and paused to look Cas' reaction this. Cas just stared at him blankly. He was intent on not letting Dean see how he felt about that. He thanked the heavens though, that Dean couldn't hear the hammering in his chest.

"So that's why you hurt me, huh?" Cas said curtly.

"Oh my god Cas, I'm so sorry." Dean said and covered his face with his hands in shame. Cas almost instantly regretted what he had said. Dean looked genuinely apologetic. He lowered his hands and looked at Cas again, who's grip on the baseball bat had loosened.

"Cas… when I saw you the first time, I-I felt something. I couldn't understand it but it was so strong. And when I realized it was attraction, I just wanted it to be stopped. I mean, I-I have never been with a man before, you know. I didn't know how to deal with it. So my only way of coping was to involuntarily act in a way opposite of what I really felt. But every time I saw your face after I hurt you or insulted you, I realized that I hurt myself more. It was _so_ much harder for me." He paused, probably to phrase the next sentence. Cas was thankful for the pause, because all this information was taking a lot of effort to process. _Dean had liked him from day one?_

"And then," Dean continued, "I saw you talking to that girl at that post-conference party and I just couldn't take it." Dean said, meeting Cas' eyes again. "Before I realized it I was making out with you, kissing you like I'd always secretly wanted, touching… sensing… feeling… exploding internally when you responded to the kiss." He smiled slowly. Cas wished Dean would stop looking at his hands and look into his eyes instead.

"But then… that stupid phone call. I hated leaving you there like that. I wanted to finish what I had started. I wanted to let you know…" He sighed before resuming, "And then I didn't have the nerve to face you after that incident. But as luck would have it, I got a seat next to you on the plane. I swear, I wanted to explain myself to you, but couldn't." He paused again sucking in a deep breath. With every word Dean said, Cas' insides filled with warmth and contentment. Dean was pouring his heart out in front of him, and he liked hearing his side of the story.

"And then you fell asleep on the plane. You were so cute." Dean said and smiled looking at Cas, who felt all of his blood rush to his cheeks. "Your head slowly fell on my shoulder and I didn't want to wake you up. And besides, it felt really nice… and your hair felt so soft against my cheek and smelled so awesome… I just buried my face in your hair and fell asleep too… And then, when you woke up, you were so close to me… staring into my eyes… I just couldn't resist."

"Then why'd you run away?" Cas spoke for the first time in ten minutes. His voice was softer now.

"I was scared Cas. I didn't know what was going through your head. Hell, I didn't know what was going through _my_ head. I wasn't ready to accept what I felt. I thought it would complicate things so much more so I decided to take a step back. But when we returned, I just could not get you off my mind. So I finally decided to face the fact and mull over how I really felt and realized that I… erm… liked you… in a more-than-friend kinda way."

A chuckle escaped Cas' lips before he could stop it. The previous sentence sounded so juvenile. Dean looked at Cas seriously and said, "But Cas, I swear it will never happen again. I will never run away from you. If you could give me just one chance…" He looked at him with those big, hopeful eyes that instantly melted Cas' heart. Cas was too stunned to respond. He just sat there staring into those eyes. Dean looked down at his hands with a disappointed look and nodded to himself.

"Ok, I get it. Don't worry, I'll never bother you again." He raised himself off the couch. Cas' immediately jumped to his feet and held Dean's hand to stop him from walking away. Had his expressions given Dean the wrong idea?

"Dean, wait." Dean looked at him surprised. "Don't go" Cas pleaded.

Dean's mouth fell open and without another thought, Cas pressed his lips against Dean's in a raw but gentle kiss. Cas didn't regret this kiss, because he believed Dean when he said he wouldn't run away this time. He nibbled on Dean's lip like he had on the plane, and received an even better moan from Dean this time. Their lips separated briefly as they caught their breath, their heads still leaning against each other's. Dean opened his eyes and looked at Cas who was smiling back at him. He put his arms around Cas' waist and collapsed with him onto the couch. They ignored the agitated groan of the couch. The baseball bat that Cas had been holding fell to the ground with a thud and Dean chuckled.

"Were you seriously gonna bash my brains out with that?"

Cas blushed heavily and Dean kissed him again, running his fingers through Cas' jet black hair. Cas thought his head would explode with happiness. He finally had the answers that he was looking for. In that moment, he felt so much closer to Dean than he had ever before. Dean pulled away just a little to look at Cas again.

"You forgive me, don't you Cas?" Dean whispered.

"Of course, Dean." Cas said and lifted his head to press their lips together in an reassuring kiss.

Dean kissed him back gently, lightly tugging at Cas' soft hair. The feeling of Dean's fingers in his hair caused a chill to run down his spine. Cas let his tongue wander in Dean's mouth freely and Dean groaned with pleasure. He ran his hands all over Dean's back causing him to shudder. Dean parted Cas' legs with his knee so that he could rest his legs between them. They gasped in unison when Dean's crotch rubbed against Cas'. Lost in this trance-like state, they didn't notice that Tabby, the land lady's cat had hopped in through the window. A soft _mew_ from the feline had Dean sitting upright on the couch, eyes wide open. He stared at the cat like it was a monster and looked back at Cas, who was still lying on the couch wondering why Dean had suddenly broken off the kiss.

"What the hell is that?" Dean asked, aghast.

Cas laughed and sat up, crossing his legs to face Dean. "Ever heard of a cat before, Dean?"

"I know what it is, Cas. I mean, what is it doing in your house?"Dean said, frustrated.

"Why are you freaking out?" Cas couldn't stop the smile from spreading over his face, "Are you afraid of cats?"

"NO." Dean said quickly, not meeting Cas' eyes. "I'm allergic." Cas laughed and laced his fingers through Dean's.

"Tabby's here for dinner" Cas said, as the cat sniffed the milk in the small bowl Cas had placed for him. "He'll be gone soon, don't worry. He'll leave as soon as he's done." And sure enough, the cat left after he'd had enough. Dean visibly relaxed after the cat was gone.

Dean looked at Cas, who smiled at him gently.

"We were interrupted once again. This is starting to become a very annoying trend." Dean said gruffly. Cas chuckled and ran a hand through his messed up hair. Dean put an arm around Cas' neck and pulled him in for a bear hug. As Cas nuzzled against his neck, Dean buried his face in Cas' hair.

"I love smelling your stupid hair" Dean said and Cas smiled, planting a gentle kiss on his neck. Cas looked up at him and Dean brushed his lips against Cas' in a tender, chaste kiss. They just sat there, staring into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity, when finally Dean sighed.

"Cas?"

"Yeah, Dean."

"As much as I hate it, I should leave"

Cas frowned. Dean chuckled and kissed him again, hugging him tighter, which made him realize that he must have accidently given Dean his famous 'puppy eyed look'. When their lips parted, Dean whispered, "I get to see you tomorrow?"

Cas nodded and smiled.

With great difficulty, they disentangled their arms and parted from each other. The loss of warmth was instantaneous. Cas watched as Dean slowly walked towards the door and his heart sank. Now that he had Dean, he didn't want to let him go. Dean opened the door and looked back at Cas. He smiled widely at Cas and it hit Cas for the hundredth time just how handsome Dean really was. Cas' breath got caught in his throat and he was too overwhelmed to even get off the couch. He was still squatting in the same position that Dean had left him in.

"Good night, Cas." Dean said.

"Good night." Cas whispered as he caught one last glimpse of that incredibly handsome face before it disappeared behind the door.

I'll dream about you.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Castiel woke up feeling groggy and confused. It was hard for him to separate fantasy from reality. He couldn't figure out whether the incident from last night involving his boss Dean Winchester and him was real or just some stupid dream. Why would Dean ever be interested in him? Why would he spend a perfectly good evening with him? Why would he passionately make out with him, promising he would never run away from him again? Why would he have feelings for Castiel, who was just another face in the crowd? It was all just probably part of some weird dream that his overactive subconscious had cooked up. But the baseball bat still lying clumsily at the foot of the couch affirmed the events of last night. As he placed the bat in its place, realization hit him hard. He had dropped this bat when Dean had pushed them onto the couch while fervently making out with him. Cas racked his brains trying to remember when he had swallowed the whole bunch of butterflies that were now flying frantically in his chest and stomach.

He smiled to himself as he got dressed for work. He found it very hard to stop smiling. Contrary to what he'd expected, he had actually slept very well last night. He fell asleep thinking about those beautiful green eyes and those striking features that had been so close to his own face. He had longed to touch all those freckles but his fingers were too busy absorbing the heat from Dean's back. He swore he would do that the next time. _The Next Time._

He saw his cheeks turn completely red in the mirror at the possibility of there being a next time. Dean had promised.

_I will never run away from you._

Cas smiled again as he turned to his bed on which he had emptied his entire closet trying to figure out what to wear to work. It was particularly hard today. He was not one to put much thought into what he wore except for some special occasion. But today felt so much bigger than all the occasions put together. He ran a hand through his messy hair. He was at a complete loss and he hated the fact that he possessed so many clothes, but he didn't quite have anything good enough to wear today. Everything was either too formal, too simple, too green _(sigh, those green eyes), _or too dull. He finally decided to wear a light blue shirt over dark trousers, which looked comparatively better than all the shirts he had tried on so far. He looked into the mirror and exhaled heavily. He sighed as he looked at the huge pile of clothes on his bed and began to hang them back in his closet before he changed his mind again.

After the mess on his bed had been cleared up, he walked up to the blurry old mirror and ran a hand through his soft black hair wondering whether he should stick to his usual side partitioned look. Charlie had given up trying to convince him that he looked like a bigger dork than he actually was when he styled his hair like that. He hadn't cared before. But today was different, wasn't it? He wondered how his hair would look if he tried to spike it up like Dean's. He cursed when he realized that he didn't have any hair product to hold the silky hair in place. After playing around with his hair for about five minutes, he gave up, parting it to his right and letting the hair in the front fall over his forehead. It seemed to look decent enough without making him look like a "dork".

Suddenly, a random thought raced through his consciousness. He rushed to his closet and began rummaging through his clothes until his eyes found the dejected blue tie that he had callously dumped in the corner after returning from the conference. At that time he never wanted to see that tie again. He had even considered flinging it out the window but couldn't bring himself to do that somehow. He couldn't believe how mad he was at Dean back then. He slowly pulled the tie out of the closet and cradled it between his palms. This wasn't an ordinary tie anymore. This was the tie that Dean had clutched onto while he had pulled Cas in for their first kiss. Cas took in a sharp breath as the memory overpowered him, making him weak in the knees. Dean had left him so confused, not once but twice. And then yesterday, Dean had come clean and confessed his feelings for him. He had explained everything, right from the start, and Cas was thankful he was sitting down when it had happened. And then they had kissed, slow and sweet and deliberate. It was even more perfect than the first time.

Without another thought, he slipped the tie around his neck. It didn't quite match the colour of the shirt he was wearing. But somehow that didn't seem to matter. All that mattered was Dean's expression when he saw the tie.

"What's with the tie?" Charlie inquired. She had been staring at him suspiciously ever since he walked into the office that morning. Castiel wanted to die. Charlie kept shooting questions his way every five minutes.

"Why do you look different today?"

"Why have you styled your hair that way?"

"Why are you wearing a tie?" _'You already asked that' _Castiel thought.

"You know the tie doesn't match the shirt, right?"

"Are you wearing perfume?"

And the inevitable and awkward "Do you have a date, Castiel?" She looked him straight in the eye, which made it harder for him to lie to her.

"Charlie, please leave me alone. I wore the tie because I felt like it. Okay? Can we stop with the interrogation now? I'm sure you have er… computer stuff… to do." Cas hoped this would end it, but he knew her too well to know that she wouldn't stop. Charlie gave him a sceptical look and lowered herself into her seat. He instantly regretted decking up. This was a horrible mistake. He should have known that it would raise Charlie's suspicions. He hated lying to Charlie. He sighed and got back to his new assignment.

After about half an hour, he decided to take a break. He closed his eyes and gently massaged his temples. He yawned absent-mindedly at the article that he had been working on when he heard a small beep. It was a new email in his office mail. He made a face at it. It was probably another assignment, or the birthday of some random person he had never heard of, or an official notice that he didn't have the motivation to deal with right now, or HR informing them about another stupid meeting or –

He sat up in his seat with a start, all lethargy lost. It was an email from Dean. He swallowed and took in a deep breath to calm himself down. If it was sent to his work email id it was probably work related, he reminded himself. But this was Dean's first interaction with him since last night. Heart hammering all over his chest, he clicked on the email.

His screen went completely blank and suddenly '_Stupid Cupid' _started playing on his computer. The screen sprang to life with hearts and teddy bears shooting from every direction. Castiel panicked and repeatedly pressed the 'escape' button on his keyboard. But there really was no escaping this. The stupid song wouldn't stop playing either. He heard Charlie whine, "Dude, we're trying to work here. Please leave your cupid at home." Cas tried frantically to stop the audio-visual assault but failed. He desperately pressed the mute button on his keyboard which thankfully took care of the song, but the screen kept projecting hearts and teddy bears in his direction. Soon there were rainbows and roses and "I Miss You"s floating around on his screen. Castiel buried his face in his hands. He hoped nobody had seen it. Fortunately, after what seemed like an hour (but it was probably just a couple of minutes), his screen displayed his inbox again. The damn thing stared back at him innocently like nothing had happened.

After recovering from the traumatizing event, Cas pressed a few random papers against his chest and walked deliberately towards his boss' cabin. He steadied himself before knocking. There was an emotional turbulence inside him. He was scandalized at the email that Dean had sent him. Somebody could have seen it and they could've gotten into so much trouble. But more importantly, he felt tingly and nervous because he would be seeing Dean for the first time since last night. He knocked lightly and immediately regretted everything. He wanted to turn around and sprint back to his cubicle, but it was too late now.

"Yes" He heard Dean's voice from the other side of the door and his heart skipped a beat.

He pushed the door slowly and noticed Dean staring at his computer screen. He was wearing a light pink shirt and his hair was spiked and perfect as always. His face was screwed up in concentration but he still managed to look so criminally flawless. He was probably busy. Cas should leave.

Dean raised his eyes to meet Cas' and his face broke into his signature heart warming smile. Cas thought he would pass out.

"Mr. Novak, please do come in. Have a seat."

Cas sat down on the chair opposite Dean's and tried to compose himself.

"How are you doing, Cas?" Dean said with an obnoxious but endearing smile still plastered over that handsome face. He adjusted himself to face Cas and leaned forward placing one elbow over his desk and resting his chin on his palm. He stared at Cas with those dreamy heart eyes. Cas tried to think about global warming and animal cruelty to make himself angry. He was here for a purpose and he was not going to be distracted by this outrageously handsome man.

"What was that email?" Cas demanded.

"You liked it?" Dean said, a devilish grin engulfing his face.

"Do I look like a fourteen year old girl?" Cas said, incredulously. His own treacherous lips threatened to break into a smile.

"You liked it, didn't you?" Dean said and winked at him.

Cas rolled his eyes and raised his hands up in mock surrender. He felt himself start to blush again. He knew if he stayed any longer, Dean's flirtations would break his resolve sooner or later. As he raised himself off the chair, Dean said,

"Hey, where are you going?"

"I have work to do" Cas struggled to keep a straight face. He found himself involuntarily sitting back down on the chair again.

"Okay… what are you doing in the evening? Apart from… feeding that stupid cat."

"Tabby is not a stupid cat!"

Dean smiled. "Don't dodge the question"

"Erm, nothing" He couldn't help but smile. Dean had cracked him open effortlessly.

"You wanna hang out?" Dean asked eagerly.

"Sure" Cas said after waiting for a few seconds. He didn't want to sound desperate. He hoped to God the physical process that was making him blush would malfunction somehow.

"See you in the evening" Dean said and smiled at him. Cas smiled in return and hoisted himself off the chair.

"Nice tie, by the way." Dean said, eyes glimmering with mischief. Cas' lips broke into a wide grin at that. He tried to cover his face with the random papers that he had carried with him, but he was sure his eyes had given him away.


End file.
